BullSnake with my 6 week old babies!!!

[BabasCoop]

I sent my daughters out to check on the chickens (they haven’t even had access to the run for a full week, so we check on them several times throughout the day).
Anyway, one of our daughters some running in yelling that there is a snake in the run and the chicks are pecking at it!!!

well we have a large pasture that borders one side of our run and we live in an area highly known for Diamondback Rattlesnakes.
My husband and I tel the girls to stay back and run out there. And sure enough we get out there and there was a bullsnake about 3-4 feet long slithering out of the coop!!

our girls seemed completely unaffected by this and just want back to their normal pecking and roaming activities.

I was freaking out!! It totally could have eaten one of my little ladies. But my husband says that it must have just been looking for eggs or something. Because the chicks were not scared of it at all, so he doesn’t feel it was showing them aggressive behavior. And we have no idea how long it had been in there.
That’s the one predator we won’t be able to fully keep out of our run.

 

[Franklinridgefarms]

A snake that size could kill a chicken especially young chickens. If I saw it again I awould get rid of it either permanently or try to relocate if that’s your preference. I see snakes as opportunistic predators during the day the chickens may be able to avoid it but at night they would be helpless for sure.

 

[BabasCoop]

A snake that size could kill a chicken especially young chickens. If I saw it again I awould get rid of it either permanently or try to relocate if that’s your preference. I see snakes as opportunistic predators during the day the chickens may be able to avoid it but at night they would be helpless for sure.

I don’t think they could get in our coop at night. It is very secure and 4 ft off the ground.
But what surprised me is that the chicks seemed to have no fear. My daughter said when she walked in that all 16 of the chicks were over investigating and pecking at the snake. And it was just sitting there.
She said she walked over to see what they were looking at and it moved away because she approached and that is when the chicks ran away.
I’m just glad I sent the girls out to check.

I think our cockerel would have killed it had he been older. (Snakes are exactly why we got a cockerel to keep with them).

 

[ColtHandorf]

I think our cockerel would have killed it had he been older. (Snakes are exactly why we got a cockerel to keep with them).

I wouldn't count on it...